The North East and Scotland team of LDC, the UK’s leading mid-market private equity firm, has strengthened its team as it increases its support for mid-market businesses across the region. Aaron Lawson-Clark joins the team as an Investment Director and Emma Borrie joins as an Investment Manager.
With more than 15 years’ experience across private equity and corporate banking, Aaron has spent his career supporting the growth of scale-up to mid-sized businesses across all sectors of the economy. He joins from Mercia Asset Management, and was formerly at NVM Private Equity, where he led multiple transactions across the UK and joined the board of a portfolio of scale-up businesses to support their growth.
Emma joins from family office investment firm Middleton Enterprises. Here she helped to develop a new private equity strategy and supported investments into growing SMEs across the UK. Emma previously spent six years as an audit specialist at KPMG, and worked with listed businesses and large enterprises across a range of sectors, including industrials, healthcare and retail and consumer.
In their new roles, Aaron and Emma will work closely with LDC’s seven-strong team in the North East and Scotland to support the firm’s pledge of investing in 100 medium-sized businesses nationally over the next five years.
The new appointments follow a busy 12 months for the team, during which it completed four transactions with a combined enterprise value of more than £200m, supported its portfolio to make more than 20 acquisitions and launched its own new charity initiatives.
Recent transactions include minority investments in Gateshead-headquartered Aspire Technology Solutions and Stockton-on-Tees-headquartered Cleveland Containers. Elsewhere, the team worked closely with its portfolio firms to support their growth plans. This included supporting Newcastle-based iamproperty’s acquisition of VTUK and SDL Auctions’ portfolio of estate agency partners.
The team also exited its investment in Newcastle-based transport management software provider Mandata, having supported the management team to complete three acquisitions, double the business’ revenue and headcount, and grow its customer base from 300 to over 2,000. LDC continues to support the team, having reinvested in Mandata to support further acquisitive growth, including Mandata’s recent acquisition of Eureka – one of Ireland’s fastest-growing suppliers of software to the transport and logistics industry.
In Scotland, the team has supported the UK-wide Lomond Group to become the largest lettings and estate agent in Scotland, following its acquisition of DJ Alexander. The team also supported Aberdeen-based Duncan and Todd on its acquisition of the Spectacle Company, as part of its strategy to open new branches and expand into new areas.
Gareth Marshall, Partner and Head of LDC in the North East and Scotland, said: “Business leaders across the region continue to demonstrate real ambition and determination to push on with their growth plans, and it’s been great to support so many of them on their journeys so far. As we look to ramp up our support for management teams across the region, we’re pleased to welcome Aaron and Emma to the team – they know the local business community inside out and I have no doubt they’ll bring a lot to the table in terms of the support we can provide to those looking to grow.”
Aaron Lawson-Clark, Investment Director at LDC, added: “LDC has a strong reputation for the support it provides to local management teams that are looking to grow, and over the last two years the team has been behind some of the region’s most standout transactions. It’s an exciting time to be joining and I can’t wait to get started!”
Alongside growing its team, LDC’s North East and Scotland team is increasing its support for local causes such as The Greggs Foundation Breakfast Club and The Prince’s Trust. Through its partnership and sponsorship of The Greggs Foundation, LDC supports five schools across the North East and Scotland to ensure children in deprived areas have a healthy and nutritious start to the day.
In partnership with The Prince’s Trust, LDC is also supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs based in the North East and Scotland – such as the founder of Gateshead-based Klee’s Kitchen. In July, LDC announced it had more than doubled its nationwide commitment to The Prince’s Trust to support 10,000 young people to start, sustain and grow their own business.